As Mia followed her movement, her head was filled with all the things her mum had been telling her about: Jess’s desire to throw herself back into the world again; picnics on the beach, a trip on the Sandbanks ferry, the cinema, the theatre – suddenly it all dawned on her.

Mia clung to the edges of the table in front of her. She wanted to leap up, run over, push her sister back out of the room before Jess could tell her what she had so clearly arrived to say. But instead Mia froze, her breath shallow as she watched her sister making her way towards her.

Jess hadn’t been doing any of those things because of what Mia had given up for her. She had been doing them to make the most of the freedom she had left – a last hurrah.

Mia knew why her sister had wanted to visit so desperately. She knew exactly what Jess was going to tell her today, and she also knew there was nothing she could do about it because she had seen that look in her sister’s eyes before. Many years ago now, when Jess could run and would let nothing get in her way.

Mia shuddered. Her sister was here to tell her that she would admit what had really happened that night. It was clear that Jess had never had any intention of letting her sister go to trial, or take the blame for something she hadn’t done.

While Mia had been sitting in prison for the last three months Jess had been doing what Mia and their mum had been begging her to do for the last five years – living her life again. Just one last time.

And what broke Mia’s heart the most was that she knew Jess hadn’t been to the theatre or the beach or any of those things for herself. She’d done it all for her mum and sister – the two people in the world who meant everything to her.

Acknowledgments

To all the many, many wonderful mums I know and those in particular who I greatly admire but who don’t always realise what an amazing job they’re doing – this book is for all of you.

My thanks go to my two wonderful friends Deb Dorman and Donna Cross who have helped me shape the stories of Laura, Mia and Janie. And to all my other friends who continue to be such a huge support. I am so lucky to have you all.

To my lovely readers, reviewers and book bloggers, and everyone who has been generous with their time and comments: thank you. Without you I wouldn’t be able to do what I love. And I really do love doing it.